The number of Irish getting work Visa's for Australia is increasing.
70% rise in Irish emigrants getting Australian approval
Saturday, February 04, 2012
The number of Irish emigrants who received working visas to Australia surged by almost 70% last year.
New
figures, released by Australia’s department of immigration and
citizenship, reveal that Irish citizens are now the third-highest
recipients of four-year temporary residence visas. Irish people were granted 3,100 "primary 457 visas" — offered to skilled workers, and their dependents, sponsored by an Australian company — from July to Dec 31 last year.
The figure marks a 68% rise from the same period in 2010 and means Irish people received 9.2% of all these visas granted in that period, after Britain (24.8%) and India (17.6%).
New South Wales was the most popular destination for Irish workers, with 2,240 workers registered there by the end of December. This was followed by resource- rich Western Australia, with 1,280 and Victoria, where workers numbered 1,090.
Meanwhile, soon-to-be- introduced immigration reforms will make it harder for Irish emigrants to secure visas, as entry requirements become more stringent.
To date, permanent residency visas have been automatically processed for anyone who meets the criteria.
However, last month it emerged a new system will operate from July, requiring an invitation from the Australian government before one can apply for residency visas. The move is part of an initiative to select the best and brightest migrants but it has already sparked panic among would-be Irish emigrants, who are rushing to get visas processed before the summer deadline.
Edwina Shanahan of Visa First, which processes visas to over 100 countries, said that applications for permanent residency and employer-sponsored visas had surged by 60% since 2009.
She warned: "The way you apply for a visa will change. From July applicants will be entered into a skills pool and you can only apply for a permanent visa if you receive an invitation from [Australian] immigration.
"They will select those who scored the highest number of points, for criteria like age, occupation and work experience."